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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. march — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — the animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. object — a thing
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. can — to be able to
  13. object — an aim
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  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