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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pop — soda
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — music
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fine — all right
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — music
  24. band — a music group

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