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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. race — the arms race
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. race — a contest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stock — goods
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — shares
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — of ice

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