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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. date — the fruit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. shower — to wash
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — rain
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. deal — to handle
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — to drop

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