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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: pit · mark · mate · pitcher · march · saw · bore · season

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to drill
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — a hole

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