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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. race — a contest
  3. kid — child
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mug — to rob
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. race — humankind
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. race — the arms race
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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