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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tube — the underground
  4. face — to confront
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — humankind
  7. ground — a position
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — a contest
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. can — to be able to
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to point toward
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. can — a tin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — the earth
  24. face — part of the head

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