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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. race — humankind
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — the season
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — to handle
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. face — part of the head

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