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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — a contest
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — magic
  19. bass — low music
  20. shower — rain
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spell — letters
  24. season — to add flavour

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