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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: wound · pass · pitch · field · race · lie · pit · wind

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — a permit
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitch — completely
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. race — a contest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — farmland
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pass — to succeed

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