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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: racket · bowl · mine · pitch · shower · firm · spring · fall

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. firm — decided
  11. shower — rain
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — a company
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spring — the season
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. firm — steady

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