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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to click
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — finally
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. race — a contest
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. last — final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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