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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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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: bank · cell · shower · march · pitch · calf

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — a phone
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bank — of a river
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. march — music

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