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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — the arms race
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. race — a contest
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — a safe
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — to go on
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. race — humankind
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. deal — to handle

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