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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. ground — a position
  3. swing — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. race — humankind
  11. rash — a series
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — crushed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. swing — to play on
  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