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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: pitcher · bear · march · chair · stock · spell · tube · racket

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — a leader
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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