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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 120 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: wind · game · mark · bank · cap · march · pitch · hide

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — a match
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitch — completely

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