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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. race — a contest
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — final
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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