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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — for digging
  6. club — for golf
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stand — to bear
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. season — in sport
  17. club — a group
  18. rash — a series
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  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