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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rock — music
  10. last — final
  11. race — the arms race
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — in control
  14. track — a path
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. race — humankind
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. track — a song

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