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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 120 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 · ruler · march · rash · bank · board · bat

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — a series
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bank — for money
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — music

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