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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pit — a hole
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — to confront
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fall — the season
  12. race — the arms race
  13. snap — to click
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — a contest
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. face — part of the head

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