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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: season · bay · firm · march · field · tube · last · row

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. row — a line
  12. firm — a company
  13. last — final
  14. march — the month
  15. last — finally
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. last — to go on
  21. tube — the underground
  22. field — for sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. firm — steady

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