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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pit — a hole
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — in sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. snap — to click
  21. race — humankind
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — a contest
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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