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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lean — thin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lean — to bend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — to eat
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — wild animals
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cell — a phone

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