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

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. 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. toast — the most admired
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — humankind
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. 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