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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: pitcher · sharp · mate · fall · nail · court · march · kick

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — a friend
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — for sport
  18. kick — in football
  19. march — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — a partner

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