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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — help
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. race — a contest
  6. file — a tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — humankind
  9. file — a document
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — in football
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. file — a line of people

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