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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: pitch · fall · kick · march · leaves · rest · wound · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kick — in football
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rest — a break
  6. march — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  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