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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: snap · pound · drill · hand · pitch · mate · march · bank

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — army training
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. march — music
  13. hand — help
  14. bank — of a river
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mate — a partner

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