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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mate — a friend
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rash — a series
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitch — completely
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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