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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: ball · season · bank · chest · row · pitch · leaves · ruler

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — in sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ball — a great time
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chest — a box
  20. bank — of a river
  21. row — a line
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitch — completely

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