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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 116 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: hand · fine · pitch · object · band · rush

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. fine — all right
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitch — a sports field

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