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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. drill — army training
  8. race — the arms race
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. race — a contest
  24. fine — all right

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