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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. race — a contest
  4. march — music
  5. club — for golf
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. swing — in golf
  8. race — humankind
  9. can — to be able to
  10. swing — music
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. last — final
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. club — for dancing
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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