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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bass — low music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — a gift
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. present — there
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. present — the time now
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ball — a great time
  19. file — a line of people
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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