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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: season · file · pitch · shower · object · present · track · ground

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. object — to protest
  4. shower — to wash
  5. object — a thing
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ground — a position
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. object — an aim
  17. file — a document
  18. shower — rain
  19. present — the time now
  20. season — of the year
  21. ground — crushed
  22. present — a gift
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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