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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. court — for sport
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — a position
  12. court — of law
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a great time
  15. race — a contest
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to drill

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