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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — to handle
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — final

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