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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · bowl · pitcher · pit · fine · mine · rash · march

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — all right
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. march — music
  24. bowl — to roll

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