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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: hand · current · stick · season · deal · march · stand · file

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. current — of water
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. march — music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. march — the month
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — the month
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — help
  22. current — electric
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stand — to bear

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