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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 quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. staff — a stick
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — humankind
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cap — of ice
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — obliged

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