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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — help
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — the arms race
  8. net — after costs
  9. bank — of a river
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — for catching
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pop — soda
  24. race — humankind

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