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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. race — a contest
  11. roll — a list
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — final
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. bat — the animal
  20. degree — from a university
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. degree — temperature
  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