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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. drill — army training
  4. firm — steady
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cap — a lid
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. drill — the tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. firm — a company
  21. row — a line
  22. firm — decided
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cap — of ice

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