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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. branch — a division
  3. pop — music
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lie — to recline
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a line of people
  24. race — a contest

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