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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — low music
  3. race — a contest
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a document
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. race — humankind
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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