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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rule — a law
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — the arms race
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rule — government
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — a contest
  24. can — a tin

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