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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to confront
  4. current — of water
  5. court — for sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. march — music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — a contest
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — electric
  17. object — to protest
  18. band — a music group
  19. race — the arms race
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a ring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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