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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: wound · saw · ruler · bass · current · pitch · pitcher · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bass — low music
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — an injury

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