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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: pitch · court · mate · drill · tube · shower · deal · stand

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — to handle
  8. shower — rain
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. drill — a practice
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. court — for sport
  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