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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: roll · field · sharp · pitch · ground · rush · rule · pitcher

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. field — a subject
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rule — government
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — farmland
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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