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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a music group
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cold — an illness
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. race — the arms race
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a song
  13. race — humankind
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lean — thin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. race — a contest
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — to bend

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