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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. race — humankind
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — a container
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mug — a face
  17. court — of law
  18. mug — to rob
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — of a king
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. tube — in a tire
  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