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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — of the year
  3. roll — a cake
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. field — for sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. march — the month
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — a permit
  23. march — music
  24. field — farmland

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