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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — music
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a line of people

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