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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — humankind
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rule — government
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to click
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chest — a box
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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