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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: season · stand · scale · wound · game · clip · stick · pitcher

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. clip — a video
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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