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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — in cards
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. season — of the year
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. season — in sport
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — the month
  24. stand — to bear

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