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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lean — to bend
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. race — humankind
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — a box
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spell — magic
  24. race — the arms race

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