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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — a partner
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a music group
  7. drill — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a friend
  11. race — a contest
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. sharp — clever
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mate — to breed
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — exactly

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