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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. race — a contest
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rule — government
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rule — a law
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rule — to rule out

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