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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitch — completely
  7. sharp — clever
  8. club — for golf
  9. court — of a king
  10. bank — of a river
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. file — a tool
  21. club — a group
  22. court — of law
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — on your feet

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