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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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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: last · jam · stand · suit · hand · march · game · shower

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — final
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — finally
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. shower — to wash
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — clothes
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. suit — in cards
  18. game — a match
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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