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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. root — of a word
  10. can — a tin
  11. charge — a price
  12. race — the arms race
  13. root — of a plant
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — the month
  18. race — humankind
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. race — a contest
  23. charge — in control
  24. file — a line of people

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