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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: pitch · date · mark · race · cap · rush · drill · deal

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — humankind
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mark — a trace
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. deal — to handle
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. race — a contest

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