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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — humankind
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fall — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. lie — to recline
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bowl — to roll

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