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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · bass · march · mark · pitch · cap · row · racket

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. march — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bass — the fish
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. march — the month
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitch — completely
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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