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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — high quality
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. file — a line of people
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — the season
  19. race — a contest
  20. fine — all right
  21. march — music
  22. file — a document
  23. race — the arms race
  24. trunk — of a car

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