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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 120 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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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: fan · content · bowl · march · stand · kid · deal · mark

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — the amount
  11. march — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kid — child
  24. fan — a supporter

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