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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitch — completely
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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