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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.

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: mouse · pitch · bowl · club · hand · track · sharp · rest

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — in cards
  16. sharp — clever
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rest — a break
  20. track — to keep track
  21. club — a group
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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