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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — in cards
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. race — the arms race
  6. sharp — clever
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — for catching
  9. foot — a measure
  10. net — in sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — after costs
  13. club — for golf
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. race — a contest
  19. rule — government
  20. hand — help
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. club — a group

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