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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — the underground
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — a container
  9. row — a line
  10. bound — tied together
  11. club — a group
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — for dancing
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. club — for golf
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rule — a law
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — government

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