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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: cold · march · press · racket · suit · stand

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. march — music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. suit — clothes
  11. press — to push
  12. march — the month
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cold — not warm
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. suit — to fit

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