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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
468
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 · fork · pass · chair · spell · date · present · pitcher

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. march — music
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. present — there
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — letters
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fork — in a road
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. present — the time now
  24. spell — magic

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