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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.

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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: cue · pitch · season · cold · march · stick · bulb · drill

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. drill — army training
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — completely
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — for pool
  19. march — music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cue — a signal
  24. season — in sport

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