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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — the sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a trace
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — the tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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