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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 preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitch — completely

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