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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — a contest
  3. ground — the earth
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ground — crushed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — a position
  14. clip — a video
  15. race — the arms race
  16. clip — for paper
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. race — humankind
  19. track — a path
  20. march — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — to cut

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