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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: drill · net · pitch · rule · chair · wave · wound · ground

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — crushed
  4. drill — army training
  5. rule — government
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — completely
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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