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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: pitcher · pitch · roll · mine · tube · hand · fine · leaves

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. roll — a list
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tube — a container
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tube — in a tire

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