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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: lie · spring · march · board · last · tube · deal · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — final
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. board — a committee
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. deal — to handle
  20. march — music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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