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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 116 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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468
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: safe · cold · stand · racket · tube · march · bass · rest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cold — not warm
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — music
  6. rest — a break
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — an illness
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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