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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. last — to go on
  11. toast — bread
  12. last — finally
  13. race — humankind
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. race — a contest
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mouse — the animal

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