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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: pitch · rush · fine · tear · can · stand · bat · spring

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. can — a tin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fine — all right
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — the season
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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