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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — rain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — government
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rule — a law
  18. chest — a box

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