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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — in sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. root — the cause
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fine — all right
  13. vault — a safe
  14. march — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. root — of a word
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — the month
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitch — completely
  21. deal — to handle
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. deal — a big deal

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