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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — the arms race
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. swing — in golf
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — a law
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — a contest
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spell — letters
  19. swing — to play on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — magic

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