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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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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: spell · foot · wound · pitch · pitcher · season · wind · suit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — a short time
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — magic
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. suit — clothes
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spell — letters

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