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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. court — of a king
  3. march — music
  4. net — after costs
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — of law
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rash — a series
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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