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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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468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lean — thin
  6. fall — the season
  7. pitch — completely
  8. club — for dancing
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  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