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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 120 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: ground · ruler · chair · hide · mate · row · pitch · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — a line
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mate — a friend

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