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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — a contest
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cell — in biology
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cap — a hat

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