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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 · cap · mug · swing · last · temple · lean · march

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mug — a face
  11. swing — in golf
  12. march — the month
  13. last — finally
  14. cap — of ice
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — final
  17. mug — to rob
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mug — a cup
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cap — a hat
  22. race — humankind
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — music

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