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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — government
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — a contest
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — a short time
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — magic
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — to fit
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. spell — letters

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