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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — a division
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — a match
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pop — music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. cap — a hat
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. race — a contest

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