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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 116 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — music
  7. row — a line
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — child
  11. march — the month
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cue — a signal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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