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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fork — in a road
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cue — for pool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. cue — a signal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. land — a country
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — ground
  19. bank — of a river
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — boats
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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