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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 · bore · firm · suit · file · fall · stock · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. bore — to tire
  5. march — music
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fall — the season
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — shares
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stock — goods

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