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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: land · pitcher · bass · march · pit · nail · coach · track

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — low music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — ground
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. land — a country
  23. pit — a hole
  24. march — music

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