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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. drill — the tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — a contest
  13. court — of law
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — music
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to click

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