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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. bank — of a river
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — letters
  12. race — a contest
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. game — a match
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — wild animals
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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