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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 120 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: pass · march · pitcher · staff · race · ground · scale · coach

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — the month
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — employees
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — humankind
  19. pass — a permit
  20. race — a contest
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ground — the earth

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