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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
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: cold · jam · bound · march · stand · rash · cell · mug

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mug — to rob
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — in biology
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — certain
  18. mug — a face
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — music
  24. cold — not warm

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