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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. race — a contest
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — humankind
  16. bass — low music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pop — soda
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chair — a professorship

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