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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: court · rush · pitch · mine · band · hide · pop · stick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pop — soda
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. court — of law
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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