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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. charge — a price
  3. drill — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. drill — army training
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. present — the time now
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — there
  12. spring — the season
  13. charge — electricity
  14. present — a gift
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — in control
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — of water

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