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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — farmland
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — a contest
  17. last — final
  18. band — a ring
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — in music
  24. bound — obliged

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