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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · snap · scale · last · mate · march · nail · cell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. march — music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. scale — in music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to click
  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