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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kid — to tease
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — army training
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — child
  18. band — a music group
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. drill — a practice
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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