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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — a division
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a dance
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — a trail
  18. season — in sport
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. race — a contest
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kick — in football

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