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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: pitch · rash · object · race · face · kid · fall · tear

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rash — a series
  5. object — an aim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — humankind
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — a contest
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — to protest
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — to tease
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — child
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fall — the season

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