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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. march — the month
  6. race — humankind
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — a contest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cap — a hat
  15. charge — in control
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. charge — a price
  23. drill — army training
  24. race — the arms race

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