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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: kick · current · rock · pitcher · pitch · fall · club · ground

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. kick — in football
  3. rock — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — a group
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. current — electric
  18. club — for dancing
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — for golf

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