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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: spring · race · charge · safe · mine · arm · ground · march

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — electricity
  4. race — humankind
  5. charge — in control
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — the earth
  22. charge — a price
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — a coil

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