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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
468
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: march · ruler · squash · rush · leaves · pitch · date · chest

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — music
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. date — the fruit
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chest — of your body

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