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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: drill · last · race · fall · bay · pitch

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — a practice
  10. last — final
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — the tool
  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