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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: march · coach · pitcher · deal · jam · file · bound · content

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bound — obliged
  9. deal — to handle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. march — music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bound — certain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bound — tied together

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