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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. net — after costs
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. sharp — clever
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. net — for catching
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — music

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