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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitch — completely
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — in sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — for catching
  13. capital — a city
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — in sport

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