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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.

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: sharp · cell · march · coach · pitcher · mate · wax · rule

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a friend
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — a law
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rule — government
  19. march — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — the month

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