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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. court — of law
  5. mark — a grade
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — a city
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. court — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pass — a permit
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mark — to pay attention

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