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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — humankind
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — a box
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. object — to protest
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — music
  12. object — an aim
  13. pit — a hole
  14. object — a thing
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — a contest
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — in cards

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