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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — completely
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. mark — a trace
  10. snap — to click
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. march — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mark — to pay attention

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