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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. march — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. march — the month
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. content — the amount
  16. race — a contest
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. last — final
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — to go on
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — the arms race

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