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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 · racket · bore · pitcher · ground · band · tube · date

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ground — a position
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — a container
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. date — on the calendar

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