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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a cup
  7. race — a contest
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — a box
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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