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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. march — music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cap — a lid
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — the underground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. race — the arms race
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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