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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: game · field · season · cue · pitch · row · leaves · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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