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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: land · stick · racket · pitcher · pitch · march · rock · last

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. land — ground
  9. last — final
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — the month
  14. last — to go on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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