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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. march — music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fine — all right
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — a penalty

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