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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. march — the month
  3. field — for sport
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — to handle
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. tube — a container
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tube — in a tire

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