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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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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: pitch · hide · cue · tear · racket · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — completely

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