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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bound — tied together

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