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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bound — certain
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — a position
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bear — to put up with

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