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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: cell · march · rest · date · pop · suit · kid · pitcher

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — a phone
  12. date — the fruit
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pop — soda
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. march — the month
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — in cards
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — to visit
  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