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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. suit — to fit
  15. net — after costs
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitch — completely
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — to add flavour

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