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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. swing — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. race — a contest
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — to play on
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pit — a hole
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. file — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. race — the arms race
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. march — the month
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — in sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. race — humankind
  23. plane — a tool
  24. file — a document

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