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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: present · last · hide · pitch · rush · game · march · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. last — finally
  3. march — the month
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — there
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — a match
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — the time now
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. present — a gift
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — to keep secret

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