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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. race — a contest
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — a group
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. shower — rain
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. race — the arms race

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