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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — the season
  3. march — the month
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. race — the arms race
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — for money
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — humankind
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — dry grass

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