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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: bat · wind · stand · leaves · fine · race · sharp · pitch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — a penalty

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