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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: bore · bowl · pitcher · rash · march · foot · pitch · mine

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. 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. pitch — a sports field
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. 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