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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. charge — electricity
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — a price
  12. mug — a face
  13. rest — a break
  14. charge — in control
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a music group
  24. bass — the instrument

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