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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
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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 · staff · shower · rule · squash · suit · mine · leaves

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — to fit
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rule — government
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. squash — to crush
  17. shower — rain
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rule — a law
  20. squash — the sport
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. staff — employees

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