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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. present — there
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fine — high quality
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. present — a gift
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. pass — a permit
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pass — to spend time

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