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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — not warm
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cold — an illness
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. firm — a company
  11. race — a contest
  12. firm — decided
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. firm — steady
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of a car

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