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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. race — humankind
  3. ball — a dance
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — finally
  24. mug — to rob

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