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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — a video
  21. pitch — completely
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. racket — a loud noise

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