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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. race — humankind
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — a signal
  6. drill — army training
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — music
  15. race — a contest
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — all right
  18. race — the arms race
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pass — to succeed

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