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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — steady
  6. march — the month
  7. club — a group
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — decided
  13. club — for dancing
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. race — a contest
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — music
  20. firm — a company
  21. branch — a division
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — low music

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