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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: pitch · pitcher · stand · board · tube · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. board — a committee
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stand — to bear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — the underground
  18. stand — on your feet

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