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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. clip — a video
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. charge — a price
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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