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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — music

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