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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a ring
  14. net — after costs
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. band — a music group
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. spring — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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