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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lean — thin
  3. race — humankind
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. track — a path
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lean — to bend
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. track — to keep track
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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