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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: pitcher · kid · pitch · rest · spell · hand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — letters
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. kid — child
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — help
  18. kid — to tease

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