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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. club — a group
  3. present — there
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. land — a country
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. club — for dancing
  19. race — a contest
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for golf
  24. rash — on the skin

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