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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cold — not warm
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cold — an illness
  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