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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: fall · mark · straw · dip · march · racket · pitch · temple

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fall — the season
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitch — completely

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