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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rock — a stone
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rock — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — a match
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. craft — boats
  17. suit — in cards
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — of a tree

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