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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — of a king
  8. rash — a series
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ground — the earth
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. file — a document
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of law

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