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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. race — a contest
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — to come down
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — a country
  17. rock — music
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cap — a lid

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