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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. race — the arms race
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spell — magic
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of law
  14. spell — a short time
  15. court — for sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — humankind
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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