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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.

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: pitch · date · roll · row · season · stick · bat · ground

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. row — to paddle
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — a position
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — a list
  23. row — a line
  24. date — on the calendar

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