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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: land · cold · cabinet · shower · pit · fork · march · stand

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. land — a country
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — an illness
  10. march — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. march — the month
  13. land — to come down
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pit — a hole

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