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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: stand · ball · pitch · bulb · spell · leaves · toast · cold

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spell — letters
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. toast — bread
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. spell — magic

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