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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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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: bank · pitcher · sharp · march · chair · bass · pitch · net

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bank — for money
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — clever

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