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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: fall · last · drill · pass · rush · chair · pitch · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. last — final
  5. pop — soda
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. fall — the season
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fall — to drop

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