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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. kid — child
  3. march — the month
  4. present — there
  5. march — music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — the month
  12. object — a thing
  13. stand — to bear
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. object — to protest
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — a series

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