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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. race — humankind

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