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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. court — of law
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of a king
  16. bank — for money
  17. pop — soda
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — for sport

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