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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · rush · cap · shower · arm · pitcher · pitch · racket

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — a lid
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pitch — completely
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — to wash

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