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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. race — a contest
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. snap — to click
  10. pass — a permit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. race — humankind
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. march — the month

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