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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 · fall · pitch · mine · deal · hand · dip · bound

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitch — completely
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — obliged
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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