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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — a law
  4. hand — help
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — clever
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. club — for golf
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. hand — in cards
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — a list
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rule — government
  24. saw — the tool

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