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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · staff · march · stick · cap · last

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — a stick
  3. race — a contest
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — final
  14. race — the arms race
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — humankind
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — a lid

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