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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: wound · perch · pitch · stick · pit · spell · lean · ground

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. spell — magic
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — a position

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