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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 · bound · clip · coach · pit · season · content · pitcher

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bound — obliged
  6. clip — for paper
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. clip — a video
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — the amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — happy
  17. march — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. clip — to cut

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