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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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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: mark · bowl · fall · pitcher · hand · pitch · race · pass

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fall — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. race — a contest
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. race — humankind

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