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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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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: pitcher · mouse · ball · fan · spring · fall · field · pitch

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — for sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — a subject
  24. fall — the season

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