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

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitch — completely

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