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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — a series
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — rain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cold — an illness
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — a contest
  20. rule — government
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — to rule out

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