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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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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 · net · mark · pitch · shower · key · wound · march

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — final
  14. pitch — completely
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. shower — rain
  19. march — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mark — a trace

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