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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · march · tube · charge · coach · pitcher · spell · firm

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — a country
  7. firm — a company
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. firm — steady
  15. spell — a short time
  16. firm — decided
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. march — music
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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