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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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468
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: object · snap · fine · march · wound · root · pitch · season

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — high quality
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — of the year
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. object — an aim
  12. march — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to click
  15. root — of a word
  16. fine — all right
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — in sport
  24. march — the month

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