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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: last · wound · leaves · pitch · rest · firm · tear · race

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. race — humankind
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — steady
  6. tear — to rip
  7. last — to go on
  8. firm — decided
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — completely
  13. race — the arms race
  14. firm — a company
  15. rest — a break
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — finally
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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