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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — humankind
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. race — a contest
  7. lean — to bend
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to confront
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — the time now
  15. bound — tied together
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — a partner
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — a friend
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — certain
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — there

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