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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: pitch · field · coach · march · kick · rush · pitcher · object

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. object — an aim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kick — in football
  12. field — a subject
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. field — farmland
  15. rush — hurry
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — music
  18. field — for sport
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitch — completely
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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