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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ground — a position
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. club — for golf
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — a group
  24. present — a gift

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