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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cue — a hint
  14. race — a contest
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — to keep secret

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