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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · rush · pitcher · ground · game · pitch · lie · coach

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitch — completely
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — a container
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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