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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fine — high quality
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. band — a ring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band

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