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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. swing — to play on
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. race — humankind
  8. mug — a face
  9. dip — to sink
  10. swing — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. march — music
  14. game — a match
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — to rip
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — a sauce

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