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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — music
  10. last — final
  11. craft — boats
  12. race — humankind
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. last — to go on
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. race — a contest
  24. board — to get on

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