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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chest — a box
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lean — thin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fine — all right
  11. object — an aim
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. object — a thing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — the animal

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