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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a song
  9. charge — electricity
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — the fish
  16. track — a path
  17. race — humankind
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rash — a series
  21. charge — a price
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — in control
  24. race — a contest

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