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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · date · bore · pitcher · pitch · rash · kick · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — the fruit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fall — the season
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kick — in football
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bore — to drill

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