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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bat — in an idiom

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