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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: firm · tube · march · row · rest · cabinet · race · stand

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. firm — a company
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rest — a break
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — a container
  11. firm — decided
  12. race — a contest
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. march — music
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — what's left
  18. row — to paddle
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stand — on your feet

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