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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: chest · march · suit · club · sharp · pitcher · rush · rule

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — a box
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rule — government
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — a group
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for dancing
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — to fit

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