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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: stand · fan · march · last · face · rock · fine · squash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fine — high quality
  7. last — final
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. squash — the sport
  10. march — music
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — all right
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rock — a stone
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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