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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chest — a box
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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