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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. rule — government
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rule — a law
  7. race — humankind
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — a box
  12. tube — a container
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. 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