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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. race — the arms race
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fork — in a road
  10. club — for golf
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bound — certain
  13. race — humankind
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. club — a group
  22. march — music
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for dancing

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