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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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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: ruler · pitch · land · club · season · drill · foot · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. drill — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — a measure
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. club — a group
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. race — humankind
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — in sport
  20. race — a contest
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — completely

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