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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — finally
  3. mug — a face
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — a list
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mug — a cup
  15. last — final
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cap — of ice
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mug — to rob
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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