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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. face — to confront
  7. club — a group
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — a contest
  18. club — for dancing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. race — humankind
  24. face — to point toward

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