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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — a contest
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — to breed
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. race — the arms race
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. scale — in music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mate — a friend
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. scale — size or range

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