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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. race — humankind
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pop — soda
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — a law
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. race — a contest
  17. pop — music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — government
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mate — a friend

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