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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cue — a signal
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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