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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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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: march · rush · perch · club · bass · stand · pit · cold

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. march — the month
  19. club — for golf
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. march — music
  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