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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a match
  4. mug — to rob
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fork — in a road
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mug — a face
  16. march — music
  17. mug — a cup
  18. race — a contest
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. race — the arms race
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. march — the month

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