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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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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 · lash · cold · spell · vault · rest · march · bass

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spell — a short time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. march — music

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