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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. race — humankind
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spell — letters
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — magic
  15. clip — a video
  16. race — a contest
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — a short time

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