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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 120 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: last · dip · pitch · mate · leaves · cap · club · season

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — in sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mate — to breed
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — finally
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mate — a partner
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cap — of ice
  22. club — for golf
  23. leaves — to go away
  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