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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. court — of law
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. court — for sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. court — of a king
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. object — to protest
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitch — completely
  21. object — an aim
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. object — a thing

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