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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: pitcher · race · stand · march · deal · arm · game · pound

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — the month
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. race — the arms race
  22. march — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — a match

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