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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — final
  4. club — for dancing
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a lid
  7. suit — in cards
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — the month
  11. race — humankind
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — finally
  16. cap — of ice
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. march — the month
  22. race — the arms race
  23. club — for golf
  24. leaves — lets stay

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