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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — to crush
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — humankind
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. scale — in music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. march — music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — a contest
  22. tube — the underground
  23. season — in sport
  24. fork — in a road

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