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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: pitch · court · kick · fan · roll · mark · racket · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — a list
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — in football
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. court — of a king
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. court — for sport

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