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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — to bear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. band — a music group
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pop — music

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