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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — humankind
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — for light
  18. squash — the sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. band — a music group

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