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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — certain
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rash — a series
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — a trail
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. plane — a tool

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