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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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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 · mug · shower · pit · race · squash · rock · arm

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — to rob
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rock — a stone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rock — music
  21. mug — a face
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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