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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. rule — government
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — decided
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. rule — a law
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — steady
  20. race — the arms race
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — a company
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bat — for baseball

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