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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: march · rush · scale · nail · stand · chest · last · fine

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. last — finally
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — to hurry

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