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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: bass · kick · pitcher · calf · ground · suit · file · march

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the fish
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — low music
  13. file — a document
  14. suit — to fit
  15. kick — in football
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. ground — crushed
  18. march — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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