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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. roll — a cake
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — army training
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. swing — to play on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — a contest
  15. roll — a list
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — part of the body

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