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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bass — low music
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — employees
  8. race — the arms race
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. race — humankind
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — on a finger

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