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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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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: lie · ground · march · pitch · sharp · trunk · foot · bass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — a measure
  12. march — music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — to recline
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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