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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. snap — to click
  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