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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — music
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — to handle
  7. race — humankind
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — a contest
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. roll — a list
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ruler — for measuring

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