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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: march · pitch · cue · net · ground · key

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ground — crushed
  7. key — the most important part
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. key — for a lock
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cue — for pool
  16. march — the month
  17. key — in music
  18. pitch — a sports field

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