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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — to go on
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. last — finally
  14. race — the arms race
  15. last — final
  16. spring — of water
  17. cue — for pool
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — the animal

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