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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: fan · march · date · bat · stand · cue · cell · row

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. row — to paddle

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