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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: ball · pitch · fine · row · stick · straw · march · mine

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. march — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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