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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — the arms race
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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