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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kick — in football
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — in golf
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. race — a contest
  16. craft — boats
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. race — the arms race
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. swing — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — not warm

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