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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. present — the time now
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. foot — a measure
  24. present — a gift

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