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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — to bear
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — to go on
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — final
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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