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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — humankind
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — finally
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — final
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. lie — to recline
  24. prune — the fruit

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