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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.

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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: deal · season · fine · pitch · temple · kick · leaves · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — in sport
  3. march — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitch — completely
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — to handle
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — in football
  15. fine — all right
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fine — high quality
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. kick — with a leg

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