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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: row · race · stand · rock · bat · capital · field · march

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — a city
  4. stand — to bear
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — a stone
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. capital — money
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rock — music
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. field — farmland
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rock — to move gently

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