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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 124 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bank — of a river
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — rain
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — to wash
  11. race — humankind
  12. bank — for money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — an illness
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. race — a contest
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bank — for money
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. row — a line
  22. track — a path
  23. game — a match
  24. cold — not warm

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