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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 120 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 · pitch · rush · bank · lean · pop · land · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pop — soda
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pop — music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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