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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
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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: swing · hand · pitch · fall · hide · plane · rash · ground

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — a series
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — a tool
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ground — the earth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — help

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