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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 120 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: pitch · fall · chair · march · rule · arm

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitch — completely
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — the season
  18. rule — a law

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