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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: kid · mug · field · key · deal · band · pitch · shower

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — for sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — in music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kid — child
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mug — a face
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — a subject
  24. shower — to wash

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