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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: rest · bank · object · row · wound · pitch · foot · march

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitch — completely
  8. object — a thing
  9. rest — a break
  10. object — an aim
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. object — to protest
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — a line
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bank — of a river

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