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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mate — to breed
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — the season
  12. stand — to bear
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitch — completely
  15. content — happy
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pass — a permit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — of water
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pass — to spend time

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