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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. row — a line
  3. stand — to bear
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — in a race

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