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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — crushed
  6. row — a line
  7. ground — a position
  8. fall — the season
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stand — to bear
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — the earth
  20. game — a match
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fall — to drop

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