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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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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: stick · fall · suit · last · cold · wind · pitch · stem

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. last — finally
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — to go on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — final
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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