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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fall — to drop
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to confront
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — a position
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. face — part of the head
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — the season
  18. race — humankind
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — the fruit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — a video

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