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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: present · fall · ruler · pitch · current · ground · march · row

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — of water
  3. present — there
  4. ground — crushed
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — electric
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. present — a gift
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fall — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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