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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · last · charge · march · court · date · band · pound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — to go on
  6. charge — in control
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. last — finally
  18. march — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. band — a music group
  24. last — final

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