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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. roll — a list
  7. season — in sport
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — rain
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. roll — a cake
  24. shower — to wash

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