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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · swing · pitcher · chip · coach · kick · cap · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — magic
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. march — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — a short time

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