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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: rash · pitcher · bore · fall · cap · plane · march · bat

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — a series
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cap — a lid
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — gave birth

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