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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — in sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a document
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — of the year
  23. rule — a law
  24. safe — out of danger

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