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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. season — in sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — the animal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. pit — in a race
  23. squash — to crush
  24. race — humankind

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