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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. march — the month
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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