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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a tool
  5. kid — child
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — a weight
  9. file — a document
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cue — for pool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fall — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lie — to recline

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