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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — the amount
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — completely
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — moving air

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