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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fork · mine · rock · cabinet · rash · march · cell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — a series
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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