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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — the underground
  6. last — to go on
  7. race — humankind
  8. bound — certain
  9. rock — a stone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — tied together
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. tube — a container
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chair — a leader
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — final
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. march — music

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