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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — a contest
  16. fine — high quality
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — an illness
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. race — humankind
  24. bound — obliged

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