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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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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: pitch · lie · wound · cell · can · season · ground · stick

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. season — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — crushed
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — a tin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cell — a phone
  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