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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 120 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: wound · cabinet · stick · kick · leaves · bay · march · pitch

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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