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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for golf
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — the month
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. season — of the year
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. march — the month
  20. race — a contest
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rock — 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