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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — of water
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — low music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — the month
  13. last — finally
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — to breed
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — final
  24. race — a contest

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