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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — obliged
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. plane — a tool
  8. craft — a skill
  9. march — music
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — boats
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bound — certain
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — the fish

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