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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — a video
  5. march — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bank — for money
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — shares
  13. current — electric
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — goods
  22. current — happening now
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. race — a contest

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