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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: rush · land · pitch · bay · racket · hand · bark · pitcher

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hand — help
  7. land — ground
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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