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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. race — the arms race
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. swing — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a great time
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. swing — to play on
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — a contest
  22. rash — a series
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a dance

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