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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: coach · scale · pitcher · rule · racket · march · last · club

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — music
  6. club — for golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for dancing
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — a group
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rule — government
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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