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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — low music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. race — a contest
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — to drill
  10. scale — in music
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bore — to tire
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. leaves — of a tree

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