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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. key — for a lock
  15. race — the arms race
  16. key — the most important part
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. race — a contest
  22. plane — a tool
  23. march — the month
  24. plane — an aircraft

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