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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — what's left
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. key — for a lock
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ground — crushed
  23. march — the month
  24. stand — on your feet

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