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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · cabinet · content · wound · deal · bound · pitch · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fall — the season
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — tied together
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. content — the amount
  24. pop — music

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