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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — child
  3. season — of the year
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rash — a series
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — to trim

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