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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spell — a short time
  3. content — happy
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spell — magic
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — letters
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — to rip
  23. content — the amount
  24. tear — from crying

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