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

Word bank: wake · arm · sharp · march · cap · race · foot · racket

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. foot — a measure
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a hat

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