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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · race · jam · pass · present · scale · rule · wind

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rule — a law
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — a gift
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — government
  24. wind — to turn a key

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