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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. march — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — temperature
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — from a university
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — farmland

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