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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mate — a partner
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — a contest
  10. scale — size or range
  11. deal — to handle
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. march — music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — in music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bark — to shout

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