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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — for sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. march — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — of the year

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