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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — certain
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ground — a position
  8. race — a contest
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — a break
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. lie — to recline
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lie — an untruth

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