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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: pitch · charge · fall · ruler · hide · field

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hide — to keep secret

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