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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 116 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: nail · pitcher · fork · firm · march · rule · pop · staff

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. rule — a law
  2. staff — a stick
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — soda
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — employees
  7. firm — steady
  8. pop — to visit
  9. firm — a company
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. firm — decided
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — government
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fork — in a road
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — music
  23. fork — to eat with
  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