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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — the arms race
  3. season — of the year
  4. club — for golf
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. race — humankind
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. season — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. race — a contest
  18. cold — an illness
  19. capital — a city
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — a group
  24. capital — a big letter

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