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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. race — a contest
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — after costs

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