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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mug — a face
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rash — a series
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bore — to drill

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