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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a friend
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. season — in sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mate — a partner
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lean — to bend
  23. track — a song
  24. hand — help

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