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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — ground
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. race — the arms race
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. plane — in geometry

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