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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 116 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: march · race · cell · court · tube · firm · deal · can

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — the underground
  4. can — to be able to
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. can — a tin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — steady
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. race — the arms race
  18. can — a tin
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. firm — a company

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