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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — a list
  8. present — the time now
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ground — crushed
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — a contest
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a cake
  24. jam — a tight spot

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