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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: rush · mark · pitch · scale · season · fan · ground · mine

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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