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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · present · pop · land · wake · kick · wound · pit

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pit — in a race
  5. present — a gift
  6. pop — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. present — the time now
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — there
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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