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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 116 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: march · cue · pitch · mine · kid · deal · band · kick

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. march — music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. kick — in football
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kid — child
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a music group
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kid — to tease

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