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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — music
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. face — to confront
  9. mate — a friend
  10. race — humankind
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. race — a contest
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — to point toward
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — a partner
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — part of the head

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