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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: racket · march · coach · band · pitch · cell · vault · kid

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a ring
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a music group
  8. march — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — a safe
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cell — in a prison

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