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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: racket · march · race · club · cue · bass · stand · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. club — for dancing
  5. race — humankind
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stand — to bear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. race — a contest
  10. club — for golf
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — music
  17. club — a group
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — low music
  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