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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. last — to go on
  3. hand — help
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — finally
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — to recline
  24. last — final

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