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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: date · bound · pitcher · firm · pitch · hand · cold · trunk

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — help
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — an illness
  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