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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: clip · shower · drill · pitch · field · wake · pitcher · pass

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — a subject
  5. clip — a video
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — army training
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — completely
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — farmland
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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