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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. race — humankind
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spring — the season
  17. march — music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bat — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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