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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 · pop · mark · spell · ground · suit · pitch · bulb

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spell — letters
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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