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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — to cut
  6. march — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — moving air
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — a contest
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — a stick
  21. race — humankind
  22. charge — a price
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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