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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · pitch · rush · land · shower · tear · jam · march

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. tear — to rip
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rush — hurry
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. land — to come down
  12. march — music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — a weight
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — rain
  24. jam — in traffic

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