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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. race — humankind
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. club — a group
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for golf
  13. mug — a face
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. club — for dancing

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