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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · cabinet · march · content · mate · race

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — happy
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. race — the arms race
  12. march — the month
  13. race — a contest
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. race — humankind
  18. 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