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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — for pool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bank — for money
  10. can — a tin
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. race — humankind
  16. can — to be able to
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bank — of a river
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — a contest
  24. march — the month

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