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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
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: saw · pitch · leaves · ground · cell · hide · cap · season

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — a position
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — crushed
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — of the year
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ground — the earth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cap — a lid
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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