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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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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: shower · fall · object · wind · pitch · snap · racket · bowl

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. object — an aim
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. object — to protest
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fall — the season
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fall — to drop

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