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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — finally
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — a contest
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — the arms race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lie — to recline
  14. race — humankind
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lie — an untruth

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