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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: spell · chair · mark · wake · pitch · tube · drill · pitcher

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — a container
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. spell — magic
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mark — a grade

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