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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: fine · arm · squash · march · kick · fall · prune · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — in football
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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