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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — a cup
  5. race — humankind
  6. ground — a position
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — to rob
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mug — a face
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — crushed

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