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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — a law
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bass — the fish
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rule — government
  24. bass — low music

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