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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — to crush
  3. swing — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bank — for money
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — a contest
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bank — of a river
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rest — a break

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