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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · spring · plane · march · cue · pitch · stock · bowl

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — humankind
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cue — a signal
  13. race — a contest
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — an aircraft

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