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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. ball — a great time
  4. object — to protest
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. row — to paddle
  11. object — a thing
  12. row — a line
  13. bass — the fish
  14. object — an aim
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — for baseball

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