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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bass — the fish
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lean — to bend
  11. court — of a king
  12. race — the arms race
  13. court — of law
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — for catching
  16. firm — steady
  17. cold — an illness
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. race — a contest
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — decided
  22. net — in sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. bass — low music

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