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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mate · jam · pitch · ball · prune · capital · file

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. leaves — of a tree

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