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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: fork · march · charge · board · cue · fine · pitch · last

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. last — final
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — finally
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitch — completely
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — to go on
  13. fork — in a road
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — the month
  17. cue — a hint
  18. charge — a price
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. charge — in control
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cue — for pool

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