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

Word bank: pitch · hide · club · tear · swing · row

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. tear — from crying
  3. row — a line
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. swing — music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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