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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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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — a coil
  7. last — final
  8. race — the arms race
  9. swing — in golf
  10. last — to go on
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — a permit
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. race — a contest
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — in a race
  22. swing — to play on
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — a horse colour

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