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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: mine · pound · bank · straw · march · pitch · cue · squash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitch — completely
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — of a river
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. march — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bank — for money
  20. cue — for pool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — for money

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