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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: tube · file · march · pitcher · suit · hide · scale · stand

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — size or range
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. suit — clothes
  23. march — music
  24. suit — in cards

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