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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
468
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: spell · bowl · track · cabinet · wound · leaves · pitch · mine

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — magic
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spell — letters
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — a path
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. track — a song
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wound — an injury

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