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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: snap · field · lean · mate · fan · leaves · pitch · clip

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. clip — a video
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mate — a friend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mate — a partner
  21. snap — to click
  22. clip — for paper
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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