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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. march — the month
  5. key — in music
  6. race — humankind
  7. stand — to bear
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — a country
  12. race — the arms race
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kid — child
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. march — the month
  23. race — a contest
  24. hide — to keep secret

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