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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. season — in sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — after costs
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — final
  21. net — for catching
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a document

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