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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rule — government
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rule — a law
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — obliged
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — a contest
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bound — tied together

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