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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chest — a box
  3. bound — certain
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a ring
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — obliged
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — for catching
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — hurry
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — tied together
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a music group

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