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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. present — there
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — a permit
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. present — a gift
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — completely

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