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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chest — a box
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bass — low music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bass — the fish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chest — of your body
  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