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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 116 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: wake · pitch · row · cabinet · bass · mark · land · ground

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. row — a line
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a trace
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — a position
  20. land — a country
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — low music
  24. pitch — a sports field

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