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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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. straw — dry grass
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. degree — an amount
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — a division
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. land — to come down
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. season — in 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