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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bat — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rule — a law
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — low music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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