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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: cabinet · bass · cell · march · race · stick · stand · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. present — a gift
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — to bear
  18. present — the time now
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — a contest

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