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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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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: march · nail · racket · pitcher · bat · wound · chair · bound

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bound — tied together
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — certain
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a leader
  21. march — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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