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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. race — a contest
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — final
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — humankind
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — the season
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — finally
  24. degree — an amount

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