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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — music
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. court — for sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a music group
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — the month

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