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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. clip — a video
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pit — a hole
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lean — to bend
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lean — thin

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