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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fine — all right
  5. roll — a list
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — high quality
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mug — to rob
  15. scale — in music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mug — a cup
  22. race — humankind
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mug — a face

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