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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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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 · last · bowl · wake · fine · trunk · bay · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. last — final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — a trail
  17. last — to go on
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — finally
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitch — completely

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