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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: clip · pitch · patient · bank · march · mate · mark · kick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bank — for money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — of a river
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — music
  24. kick — with a leg

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