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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — a stick
  17. march — the month
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — the month

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