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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: march · jam · cabinet · foot · prune · cell · stand · game

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — a phone
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. game — a match
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. march — music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. foot — a measure

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