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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — boats
  4. wake — a trail
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rash — a series
  10. present — there
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. march — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — a skill
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. present — a gift
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. present — the time now

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