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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: date · kick · scale · rash · fall · pitch · spring · march

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — completely
  8. march — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — the season
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — of water
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. date — the fruit

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