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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — a stick
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — letters
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — of water

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