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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: ball · present · mark · fine · tube · march · race · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — humankind
  16. fine — all right
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. ball — a dance
  20. march — the month
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mark — a trace
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a round shape

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