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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — magic
  10. race — a contest
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — certain

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