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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: mark · pitch · nail · rule · land · saw · present · season

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rule — government
  17. land — to come down
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. present — the time now
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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