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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. roll — a list
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. race — the arms race

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