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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 · suit · club · degree · march · bulb · staff · cabinet

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — clothes
  11. club — for golf
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bulb — for light
  20. club — a group
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — for light

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