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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. face — to point toward
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — to confront
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — to paddle
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. race — a contest

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