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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pass — a permit
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a partner
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mate — a friend
  10. race — a contest
  11. pop — music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chip — to eat
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chip — in a computer

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