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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. charge — a price
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bank — of a river
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. charge — in control
  14. rash — a series
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. race — a contest
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — to crush
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rash — hasty

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