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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · pitch · pitcher · season · mine · spell · rock · chip

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. rock — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — of the year

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