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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: pitch · march · ground · cabinet · season · cap · bark · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mark — a trace
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. march — the month
  7. season — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ground — a position
  18. march — the month
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — of ice

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