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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tube — a container
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. track — a path
  17. march — the month
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — a song
  24. race — a contest

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