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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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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: pitch · season · drill · band · fan · current · rush · present

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. current — of water
  4. band — a ring
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — the tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. drill — army training
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. band — a music group
  15. rush — hurry
  16. present — there
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. current — happening now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. present — a gift
  23. season — in sport
  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