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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: deal · stick · drill · pitch · wound · pitcher · march · hide

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — a practice
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — music

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