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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. lean — to bend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. spring — the season
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cell — in biology
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. spring — of water
  17. lean — thin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — a phone
  20. snap — to click
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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