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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: march · spring · kick · charge · pitch · mark · pitcher · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — in football
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — of water
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — the month

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