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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — in sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bass — low music
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com