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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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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: ground · craft · dip · pitch · band · club · can · march

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — the month
  4. craft — a skill
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ground — the earth
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. march — music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. can — to be able to
  13. craft — boats
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ground — a position
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for dancing
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. dip — to sink
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — the month

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