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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 120 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: band · pitch · snap · ground · mark · current · march · mine

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. current — electric
  4. band — a music group
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — a position
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. snap — to click
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. current — happening now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a ring
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — the earth

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