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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · pitch · bound · pitcher · march · kick · prune · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — music
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. bound — tied together
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitch — completely
  24. prune — to trim

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