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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — money
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wave — with your hand

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