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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cold — an illness
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. season — in sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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