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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: stand · pitcher · stick · land · fall · current · pitch · chair

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — a country
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. current — happening now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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