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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 116 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: rock · rest · march · plane · club · straw · pitcher · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — the month
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. club — for dancing
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. march — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. club — for golf
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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