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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rest — a break
  5. snap — to click
  6. drill — army training
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wound — an injury

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