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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
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: ball · rash · key · pitch · rest · field · stand · shower

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — for sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. shower — rain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a round shape

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