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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. squash — to crush
  7. charge — in control
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — a contest
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — government
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bear — the animal

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