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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a document
  8. craft — boats
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. craft — a skill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lean — thin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a partner
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — of the year
  24. cap — a hat

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