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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — in sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — completely
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — army training
  23. staff — a stick
  24. season — of the year

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