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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. can — a tin
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — in music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. can — to be able to
  24. jam — a tight spot

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