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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — the season
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — a contest
  7. spell — letters
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — for betting

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