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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. race — humankind
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rash — hasty
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. track — a path
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cell — in biology
  14. face — to point toward
  15. track — a song
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. suit — in cards
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — the arms race
  22. roll — a list
  23. race — a contest
  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