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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — humankind
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — a stick
  9. game — a match
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cell — a phone
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — low music

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