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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · key · drill · mine · cell · march · can · plane

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. plane — a tool
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — a practice
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. key — the most important part
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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