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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · march · straw · stand · wind · cabinet · mine · perch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stand — to bear
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a match
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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