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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of law
  5. rule — government
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chest — a box
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of a king
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rule — a law
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. race — humankind
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — the arms race

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