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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — humankind
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. race — a contest
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mate — to breed
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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