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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: march · racket · wind · pitch · spring · fine · chip · mark

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — the month
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mark — a grade
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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