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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. race — the arms race
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — to handle
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — a line
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bass — low music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. racket — for tennis

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