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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 · bay · pitch · staff · wind · wake · fall · scale

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. scale — in music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pitch — completely
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitch — a sports field

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