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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — part of the head
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — a contest
  6. face — to confront
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. key — for a lock
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. dip — to dunk

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