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

Word bank: cap · last · chest · march · root · plane · race · stand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — finally
  4. race — a contest
  5. march — the month
  6. plane — a tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. last — final
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. root — of a word
  21. race — the arms race
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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