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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. present — there
  9. fall — the season
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — to drop
  15. present — a gift
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. craft — a skill
  21. present — the time now
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mate — a partner

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