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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. race — humankind
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — the arms race
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bear — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. craft — boats
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bear — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — certain
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. clip — for paper
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bound — tied together
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — hurry
  23. charge — a price
  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