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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — in sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. scale — in music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. chair — a leader
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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