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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. deal — to handle
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — ground
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — help
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. race — humankind
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rush — hurry
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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