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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: last · file · bore · net · march · pitch · object · stem

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — in sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. file — a document
  14. last — to go on
  15. object — a thing
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. object — to protest
  22. stem — to come from
  23. net — for catching
  24. last — final

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