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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: rule · tear · season · fan · bound · march · pitch · coach

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tear — from crying
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rule — a law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rule — government
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rule — to rule out

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