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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: rule · race · ball · stick · safe · mug · kid · net

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rule — a law
  3. kid — to tease
  4. race — humankind
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — for catching
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mug — a face
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — in sport
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. ball — a dance
  19. kid — child
  20. mug — to rob
  21. net — after costs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mug — a cup
  24. race — a contest

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