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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — a phone
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cell — in biology
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — to shout
  24. shower — to wash

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