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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — there
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — of the year
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitch — completely
  16. present — the time now
  17. ground — a position
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. season — in sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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