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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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Word bank
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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: march · mouse · bay · drill · season · key · race · mine

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — a practice
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — humankind
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mouse — the animal

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