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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
468
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: stand · pitch · rush · ball · hand · cold · arm · mate

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — to breed
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. hand — help
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rush — hurry
  24. arm — part of the body

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