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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — thin
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — to come down
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — of water
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. scale — size or range
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. firm — decided
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — ground
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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