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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
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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: row · march · fine · game · mine · pitcher · last · foot

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. row — a line
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — final
  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