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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — the time now
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — there
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. present — a gift
  23. cue — a signal
  24. race — the arms race

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