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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: track · pop · squash · stick · pitcher · race · pitch · racket

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — humankind
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — soda
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pop — to visit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. track — a path
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — a contest

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