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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cap — a lid
  4. drill — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. race — humankind
  13. cap — of ice
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. race — a contest
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. band — a ring
  24. fall — to drop

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