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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: straw · race · rest · march · pit · mark · mate · mug

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a partner
  9. race — a contest
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — the month
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rest — what's left
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rest — a break
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mug — a face

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