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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 124 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rule — a law
  5. tube — a container
  6. rule — government
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — finally
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — final
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. race — humankind
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tube — the underground

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