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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: mark · ground · land · ball · rash · pitch · ruler · file

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — a position
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. file — a tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. land — to come down
  20. rash — a series
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — to pay attention

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