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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cold — not warm
  7. firm — steady
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. vault — a safe
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — from crying
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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