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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.

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: rock · cold · pitch · pitcher · racket · pound · spell · rush

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rock — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — completely
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — magic
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rock — a stone

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