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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: land · bear · spell · stand · bay · pitcher · fall · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — the season
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — to come down
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — letters
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitcher — a jug

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