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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. race — the arms race
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — to come down
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — a contest
  9. can — to be able to
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. race — humankind
  23. leaves — to go away
  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