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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: leaves · pitch · deal · fall · rule · face · spring · ground

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fall — the season
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitch — completely
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — government
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rule — a law
  19. face — to point toward
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fall — to drop
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rule — to rule out

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