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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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · present · date · rush · race · pitcher · pitch · march

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. race — a contest
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — the time now
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. present — there
  17. march — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — hurry
  24. present — a gift

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