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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. foot — a measure
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. mine — for digging
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitch — completely
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — of the year
  24. racket — a loud noise

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