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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. foot — a measure
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — humankind
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pop — soda
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cell — a phone

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