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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: pitcher · march · arm · mouse · ground · rest · tear · fine

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — high quality
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — a position
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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