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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. race — a contest
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — a country
  9. race — humankind
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — crushed
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fall — the season
  17. ground — a position
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. lean — thin

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