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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. race — humankind
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a line
  8. bound — tied together
  9. race — the arms race
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — a contest
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. court — of a king
  23. march — music
  24. bound — certain

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