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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: mate · club · nail · wake · stick · march · pitch · spell

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — music
  5. club — a group
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — letters
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — completely
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — magic
  24. mate — to breed

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