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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. march — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — temperature
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — a trail
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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