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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: march · saw · bay · chair · pitcher · plane · content · rule

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rule — government
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rule — a law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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