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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: mark · season · file · pitch · content · pitcher · march · leaves

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a grade
  6. march — the month
  7. content — the amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a document
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — happy
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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