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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — a contest

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