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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: kid · leaves · suit · wake · pitcher · foot · season · march

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. suit — to fit
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — to tease

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