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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 116 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: fine · dip · swing · wound · land · object · pitch · wind

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — all right
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. swing — to play on
  11. dip — to sink
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — to come down
  21. object — a thing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — ground
  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