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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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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: pitcher · land · shower · pitch · rest · straw · mark · suit

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mark — a grade
  3. land — to come down
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — ground
  6. pitch — completely
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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