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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a grade
  13. march — music
  14. race — a contest
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. craft — boats
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — completely
  21. race — humankind
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chair — a professorship

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