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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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