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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: pitcher · wake · net · march · stick · pass · rush · lean

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — for catching
  12. pass — a permit
  13. march — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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