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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — high quality
  8. race — humankind
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. court — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — a gift
  17. bank — for money
  18. present — the time now
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — for money
  23. present — there
  24. race — a contest

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