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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — the month
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — music
  16. board — a committee
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. board — to get on
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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