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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — to handle
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. race — a contest
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stem — a stem cell

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