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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — decided
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — completely
  6. march — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. firm — steady
  14. race — the arms race
  15. squash — the sport
  16. firm — a company
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — to crush
  19. march — the month
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. race — humankind
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — a stem cell

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