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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. sharp — clever
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mate — a friend
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — rain
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ruler — a monarch

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