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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · drill · present · race · pitch · staff

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. present — a gift
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. race — the arms race
  10. drill — army training
  11. staff — a stick
  12. present — there
  13. race — humankind
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — completely
  17. race — a contest
  18. present — the time now

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