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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — the arms race
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lie — to recline
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. race — a contest
  24. ground — a position

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