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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cell — in biology
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — a phone
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — in a race
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. object — a thing
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — to protest
  22. fall — to drop
  23. season — of the year
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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