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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 124 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a face
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of a king
  7. stock — shares
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — the season
  24. race — the arms race

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