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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — part of the head
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. race — humankind
  17. pit — a hole
  18. face — to confront
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of law
  24. straw — a straw man

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