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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — the arms race
  3. charge — in control
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — for digging
  7. race — a contest
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. race — humankind
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. charge — a price
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young 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