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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — a stone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — moving air
  8. march — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. deal — to handle
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — humankind

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