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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: band · stand · roll · wind · pitch · mate · track · kick

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a ring
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. roll — a list
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — to bear
  14. roll — a cake
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — on a roll

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