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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 116 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: stick · pitch · rush · bat · track · bear · net · pitcher

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — a song
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — a jug

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