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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — from a university
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bat — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pass — a permit

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