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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: mine · kid · rash · scale · last · march · pitch · can

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — in music
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitch — completely
  11. last — final
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — finally
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. march — the month
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — music
  23. kid — child
  24. mine — belonging to me

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