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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 120 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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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: rush · rock · pitch · row · racket · coach · bat · shower

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rock — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — rain
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. row — a line

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