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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. pop — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. shower — rain
  8. fine — all right
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — high quality
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. fall — the season
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — to wash
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fall — to drop

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