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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: cabinet · march · date · bear · foot · race · bat · band

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. march — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. foot — a measure
  18. band — a ring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — the month

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