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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: march · cold · race · hide · object · last · spring · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spring — of water
  5. cold — not warm
  6. object — to protest
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — a coil
  9. object — an aim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — a thing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. last — finally
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — to go on
  20. race — a contest
  21. march — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — final
  24. cold — the Cold War

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