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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — low music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. present — the time now
  13. race — a contest
  14. swing — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. present — a gift
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. present — there
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a ring

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