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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. race — a contest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lie — to recline
  5. last — to go on
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. race — humankind
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — low music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bass — the fish
  20. last — final
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — finally

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