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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. race — humankind
  7. cue — a signal
  8. net — after costs
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cue — a hint
  12. clip — to cut
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — a cup
  16. race — a contest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — for catching

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