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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. race — a contest
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bound — tied together
  17. race — humankind
  18. march — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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