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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. pitch — completely
  6. race — a contest
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. march — the month
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. race — the arms race

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