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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. craft — a skill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cell — in biology
  6. race — humankind
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. race — a contest
  11. hand — help
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. clip — a video
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — boats
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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