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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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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: bank · shower · last · object · pitch · fall · kick · court

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — of a king
  6. shower — rain
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. object — a thing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — final
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. court — of law
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — to protest
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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