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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. present — there
  3. band — a ring
  4. race — humankind
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rush — hurry
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — a gift
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — a contest
  22. rock — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — the time now

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