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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — completely
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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