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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  3. net — in sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — child
  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