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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: drill · net · spring · rest · march · pitcher · pitch · swing

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rest — a break
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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