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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a path
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — a contest
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — a song
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — in sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. march — music
  20. capital — money
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pit — a hole

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