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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
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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: land · drill · game · ground · pitch · fan · leaves · rash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ground — crushed
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — army training
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. drill — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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