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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a document
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — a box
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. file — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a line of people
  24. can — to be able to

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