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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — child
  16. scale — in music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stand — to bear
  24. racket — for tennis

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