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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pop — music
  4. kid — child
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. race — a contest
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — a list
  20. object — to protest
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — music
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — to tease

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