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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rule — government
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — certain
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pit — a hole

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