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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rest — a break
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. march — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bear — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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