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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — in sport
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rest — a break
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — of a tree

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