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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · content · staff · bound · fall · race · pitch · rush

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — certain
  12. mate — a friend
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — a partner
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. race — humankind
  24. staff — a stick

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