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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. roll — a cake
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — a friend
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — to bear
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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