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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: hide · march · cap · pass · mine · fall · cell · stock

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — for digging
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — music

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