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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: pitcher · kick · nail · spell · file · march · safe · rock

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a tool
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a line of people
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rock — music
  9. file — a document
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rock — a stone

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