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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 116 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: present · march · content · shower · key · mate · board · pitch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. content — the amount
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. content — happy
  8. march — the month
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — to get on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. march — the month
  17. key — in music
  18. shower — rain
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. mate — a partner
  24. present — there

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