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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — the sport
  3. content — happy
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — in sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — after costs
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — to crush
  17. deal — to handle
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — the arms race
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — a contest
  24. deal — an agreement

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