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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: stand · cue · roll · board · rash · bat · march · race

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a list
  3. board — to get on
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rash — a series
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cue — a hint
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. race — a contest
  17. bat — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — a signal

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