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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 120 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 sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. land — a country
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. scale — in music
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — a dish

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