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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — low music
  4. march — music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — the month
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bound — obliged

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