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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — a contest
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to point toward
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. face — part of the head
  18. shower — rain
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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