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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.

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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: game · march · craft · lean · shower · pitch · rest · mouse

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — to wash
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a match
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. craft — a skill
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lean — thin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitch — completely

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