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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: last · deal · pitch · pass · wind · rush · cold · ball

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — to go on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — final
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pitch — completely
  16. last — finally
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pass — a permit
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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