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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. toast — bread
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. race — a contest
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. game — a match
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. game — wild animals

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