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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — of water
  9. cold — an illness
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. race — a contest
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — a dish

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