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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: march · ruler · shower · fine · ground · rock · pitch · field

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. march — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — a subject
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fine — high quality

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