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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — a partner
  16. march — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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