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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. land — a country
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitch — completely
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — ground
  11. suit — clothes
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stand — to bear
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spring — a coil

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