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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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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — a position
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — before a funeral

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