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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — humankind
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — hurry
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — size or range
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cold — an illness
  19. kid — child
  20. swing — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. scale — in music
  23. suit — in cards
  24. leaves — of a tree

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