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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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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: bound · leaves · bat · shower · kid · wake · pitch · wind

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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