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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: pitch · mate · field · jam · leaves · toast · last · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. last — to go on
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. toast — bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. last — final
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. row — a line
  15. field — farmland
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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