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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 116 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: pitch · trunk · season · ground · fine · mouse · mate · track

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ground — a position
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — to breed
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — high quality
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — a song
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a path
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. trunk — of a car

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