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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — in sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. last — final
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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