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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: march · hand · drill · bay · cue · cabinet · fork · pitch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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