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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: sharp · pitch · land · fall · leaves · bore · row · object

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bore — to tire
  8. sharp — clever
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. row — a line
  20. object — an aim
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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