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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: bay · march · ball · pitcher · wound · racket · bound · spell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bound — certain
  10. march — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — magic
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bound — obliged

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