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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. race — humankind
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. race — a contest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — a line

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