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

Word bank: row · squash · leaves · cell · foot · race · pass · sharp

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — a contest
  7. pass — a permit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. row — a line
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. foot — part of the body

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