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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. race — a contest
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fall — the season
  6. snap — to click
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fall — to drop

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