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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. file — a tool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fine — all right
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. race — a contest
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitch — completely
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cell — in biology
  24. sharp — clever

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