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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: last · straw · pitcher · drill · pitch · bulb · stand · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stand — to bear
  5. season — in sport
  6. last — finally
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — to go on
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — final
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitch — completely

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