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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · file · bass · roll · march · stand · cap · cue

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bat — the animal
  4. march — music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cue — for pool
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. roll — a list
  22. cue — a hint
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a cake

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