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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: stand · cue · leaves · rash · wound · kid · pit · march

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rash — a series
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — child
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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