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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. race — humankind
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — a series
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chest — a box
  16. race — a contest
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bound — certain
  21. suit — clothes
  22. shower — rain
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. suit — in cards

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