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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — to tease
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. craft — boats
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — help
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chair — to sit on

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